{"id":5882,"date":"2026-09-22T13:12:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T13:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=5882"},"modified":"2026-09-22T13:12:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T13:12:52","slug":"part-9-when-the-guesthouse-went-dark-richards-real-reason-for-coming-back-forced-mrs-harper-to-reveal-her-oldest-secret","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=5882","title":{"rendered":"PART 9 \u2013 When the Guesthouse Went Dark, Richard\u2019s Real Reason for Coming Back Forced Mrs. Harper to Reveal Her Oldest Secret"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The darkness lasted less than a second before someone screamed.<\/p>\n<p>Not one of the boys.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper.<\/p>\n<p>Her cry came through my phone from somewhere inside the same building, followed by the clatter of something striking a hard floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMargaret?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No answer.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent was already moving.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStay here,\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour sons are next door.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That stopped him.<\/p>\n<p>Reeves pulled a flashlight from his jacket and drew the compact pistol beneath it. Detective Torres did the same with her service weapon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEmergency lights should activate,\u201d Reeves said.<\/p>\n<p>They did not.<\/p>\n<p>The guesthouse remained black.<\/p>\n<p>That meant the outage was deliberate.<\/p>\n<p>Torres spoke quietly. \u201cNobody separates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>From the next room came Leo\u2019s frightened voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I went toward him immediately.<\/p>\n<p>The office door opened into a narrow hall. Enough evening light entered through distant windows to turn furniture into dark shapes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLucas? Leo?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I followed the voice.<\/p>\n<p>The boys were crouched beside the sofa with Dr. Shah.<\/p>\n<p>Lucas held a fireplace poker in both hands.<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed from relief.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFireplace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can see that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf someone comes in, I\u2019m hitting him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s make that Plan B.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s Plan A?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLeaving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent entered behind me.<\/p>\n<p>Both boys rushed to him.<\/p>\n<p>He put one arm around each.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cListen carefully. We\u2019re going outside with Daniel and Detective Torres.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lucas looked at the gun in Reeves\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs someone here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>I answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe think someone may have entered the building.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard?\u201d Lucas asked.<\/p>\n<p>Every adult went still.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent looked down at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lucas swallowed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Mom didn\u2019t like him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Children remembered more than adults assumed.<\/p>\n<p>Torres moved toward the rear exit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReeves, take the family. Shah goes with them. I\u2019m finding Harper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m staying,\u201d Reeves said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is my security perimeter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd I\u2019m the police officer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their argument lasted three seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Torres won.<\/p>\n<p>We moved toward the kitchen exit.<\/p>\n<p>Halfway there, something crashed in the pantry.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMargaret.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reeves raised his flashlight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKeep moving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper had worked for Vincent fifteen years. Whatever secrets she had kept, he was not leaving her behind.<\/p>\n<p>Neither was I.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll take the boys,\u201d Dr. Shah said.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He hated it.<\/p>\n<p>Then he kissed each boy\u2019s forehead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStay with Claire.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lucas grabbed his sleeve.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m coming right behind you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou always say that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent crouched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis time you get to make sure I do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lucas released him reluctantly.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Shah, the twins, and I crossed the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>The rear door would not open.<\/p>\n<p>I tried again.<\/p>\n<p>Locked.<\/p>\n<p>Not with the ordinary latch.<\/p>\n<p>The electronic deadbolt showed no power.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cManual release?\u201d Shah asked.<\/p>\n<p>I searched beside the frame.<\/p>\n<p>Before I found it, glass shattered behind us.<\/p>\n<p>Leo screamed.<\/p>\n<p>I spun around.<\/p>\n<p>A dark figure crossed the far end of the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>Reeves shouted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cStop!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The figure disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>Torres followed.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent went after her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVincent!\u201d I shouted.<\/p>\n<p>He ignored me.<\/p>\n<p>Of course he did.<\/p>\n<p>I found the emergency release and pulled it.<\/p>\n<p>The door opened.<\/p>\n<p>Cold air rushed in.<\/p>\n<p>Two security guards were running across the lawn from the main house.<\/p>\n<p>I pushed the twins outside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo with them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lucas resisted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat about Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019ll follow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou said we stay together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe needs to help Mrs. Harper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lucas looked furious.<\/p>\n<p>Good.<\/p>\n<p>Anger was easier to move than terror.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Shah took his hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The guards surrounded them.<\/p>\n<p>I should have gone too.<\/p>\n<p>Instead I turned back.<\/p>\n<p>That was probably foolish.<\/p>\n<p>But Mrs. Harper had called me, not security.<\/p>\n<p>She had been trying to tell me something.<\/p>\n<p>I entered the dark kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cClaire?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A flashlight beam found me.<\/p>\n<p>He was beside the pantry.<\/p>\n<p>Reeves had forced the door open.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper sat on the floor between shelves of canned food, pressing a dish towel against her forehead.<\/p>\n<p>Blood stained the cloth.<\/p>\n<p>I knelt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe hit me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is he?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Torres returned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRear utility door is open. Someone got out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reeves spoke into his radio.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll units, suspect may be outside. Lock the grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent crouched beside Mrs. Harper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy was Richard here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent\u2019s face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is not the moment for vague apologies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She lowered the towel.<\/p>\n<p>The cut was shallow but bleeding.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard came for something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIsabella\u2019s evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe already have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room seemed to tighten.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else is there?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>She looked toward the hallway.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thought Isabella gave me something before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid she?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have had evidence for four years?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat doesn\u2019t answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe made me promise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIsabella is dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His voice cracked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy sons have been sick for four years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper began crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent turned away, furious.<\/p>\n<p>I kept my voice level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Isabella give you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA key.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSmall. Brass.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hid it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the main house.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reeves cursed softly.<\/p>\n<p>Torres crouched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Richard ask specifically about a key?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said Isabella had stolen something belonging to the company and that she might have left access with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause she told me never to give it to Richard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent turned back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYet you continued working in my house while he had access to my children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper flinched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought it was over after she died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen the boys got sicker.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you still said nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told Harrison about the smell. I told him about their headaches. I told him the rooms seemed wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarrison was part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou knew Isabella didn\u2019t trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper\u2019s silence answered.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent looked as though he had been struck.<\/p>\n<p>I understood his anger.<\/p>\n<p>But I also understood what fear could do over years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Richard threaten?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper looked at me sharply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t hide for four years because someone might fire you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her mouth trembled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy son.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent stopped.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have a son?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEthan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know Ethan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe worked for Moretti Logistics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWorked?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was arrested three months after Isabella died.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor embezzlement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent remembered.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told me he admitted it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard showed me documents that would send Ethan to prison for twenty years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat documents?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFinancial records. Transfers. Accounts. I didn\u2019t understand them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard fabricated them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo keep me quiet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Torres leaned closer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat exactly did he demand?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat I never discuss Isabella\u2019s suspicions. That I never mention the service passage. That I report anything unusual involving the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach turned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou were reporting to Richard?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt first.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout a year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent stared at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told him about my sons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told him schedules. Trips. Doctors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat is how he knew when they were away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her tears came harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pattern sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had not needed sophisticated surveillance.<\/p>\n<p>He had someone inside the house.<\/p>\n<p>Someone terrified enough to obey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat changed after a year?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI stopped answering him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Leo collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She pressed the towel against her forehead again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe was five. He tried to walk from his bed to the bathroom and fell. He looked at me and asked whether he was dying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice broke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI couldn\u2019t keep helping.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened when you stopped?\u201d Torres asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRichard stopped contacting me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJust like that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought he didn\u2019t need me anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He probably did not.<\/p>\n<p>By then Blake was monitoring the boys medically.<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper had become expendable.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent paced once across the pantry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere is the key?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Isabella\u2019s sewing room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat room hasn\u2019t existed for years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt became the blue guest room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnder the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reeves looked at Torres.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe go together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Torres nodded.<\/p>\n<p>The twins were moved farther from the estate while the grounds were searched.<\/p>\n<p>No sign of Richard.<\/p>\n<p>The company jet continued toward Canada carrying someone wearing Richard\u2019s distinctive ring.<\/p>\n<p>A decoy.<\/p>\n<p>He had planned his disappearance carefully.<\/p>\n<p>Back inside the main house, Mrs. Harper led us to the blue guest room.<\/p>\n<p>She knelt beside the window seat.<\/p>\n<p>Her fingers found a tiny imperfection in the floorboards.<\/p>\n<p>Reeves used a tool to lift one plank.<\/p>\n<p>Beneath it was a cloth pouch.<\/p>\n<p>Inside lay a brass key.<\/p>\n<p>No label.<\/p>\n<p>No explanation.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent held it beneath the lamp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does it open?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mrs. Harper shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIsabella never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reeves photographed it.<\/p>\n<p>Torres examined the teeth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOld-fashioned lock.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent frowned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing in this house uses keys like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaybe it isn\u2019t for this house,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>That possibility seemed obvious once spoken.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere else did Isabella go?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHer parents\u2019 house. Charity offices. Our apartment in Manhattan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnywhere private?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He looked toward the window.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was a cottage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat cottage?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe inherited it from her grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout forty minutes north.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes Richard know about it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone close to us knew.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Torres stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen we don\u2019t go charging there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent was already reaching for his coat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDetective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt belonged to my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd a man who may have killed her just broke into your guesthouse looking for this key.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe doesn\u2019t have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich means he may be waiting wherever it leads.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That finally slowed him.<\/p>\n<p>Reeves\u2019s radio sounded.<\/p>\n<p>A guard had found something near the guesthouse.<\/p>\n<p>Footprints.<\/p>\n<p>A discarded jacket.<\/p>\n<p>And a phone.<\/p>\n<p>Richard\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent stared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe left it deliberately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProbably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The device had been wiped.<\/p>\n<p>But the SIM card remained.<\/p>\n<p>Torres bagged it.<\/p>\n<p>As she did, my own phone buzzed.<\/p>\n<p>Unknown number.<\/p>\n<p>One message.<\/p>\n<p>CLAIRE MORGAN. YOU HAVE BEEN IN THAT HOUSE TWO DAYS. WALK AWAY.<\/p>\n<p>I showed Reeves.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent read it over his shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>His face changed.<\/p>\n<p>Another message appeared.<\/p>\n<p>THE BOYS ARE ALIVE BECAUSE I WANTED THEM ALIVE.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent reached for the phone.<\/p>\n<p>A third arrived.<\/p>\n<p>ISABELLA DIDN\u2019T KNOW WHEN TO STOP EITHER.<\/p>\n<p>The room went silent.<\/p>\n<p>Torres photographed the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Then the phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Same number.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnswer it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Torres shook her head and activated recording.<\/p>\n<p>I accepted the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A man breathed softly on the other end.<\/p>\n<p>Then Richard Cole spoke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou should have left when Harrison warned you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Vincent.<\/p>\n<p>He heard the voice through speakerphone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard laughed quietly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat question cost Isabella her life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vincent lunged toward the phone.<\/p>\n<p>Torres held up a hand.<\/p>\n<p>I continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe key.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t know I have it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>He could see us.<\/p>\n<p>Or someone could.<\/p>\n<p>I scanned the room.<\/p>\n<p>Windows.<\/p>\n<p>Door.<\/p>\n<p>Ceiling.<\/p>\n<p>Reeves understood.<\/p>\n<p>He began checking for surveillance equipment.<\/p>\n<p>Richard said, \u201cGive it to Harrison.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHarrison is in the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>That surprised him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>Then the call ended.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent stared at the phone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe didn\u2019t hit Blake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>Torres nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if his reaction was genuine, he didn\u2019t know Blake had been attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reeves stopped beside the bookshelf.<\/p>\n<p>He held up one finger.<\/p>\n<p>Then reached behind a decorative molding.<\/p>\n<p>A tiny camera came free.<\/p>\n<p>Vincent looked at it.<\/p>\n<p>Richard had been watching the room.<\/p>\n<p>Watching us find the key.<\/p>\n<p>But if Richard had not attacked Blake, another player had entered the story.<\/p>\n<p>Before anyone could speak, Torres\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>It was the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Blake had regained consciousness.<\/p>\n<p>He remembered who struck him.<\/p>\n<p>Torres listened.<\/p>\n<p>Her expression slowly changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you certain?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked toward Mrs. Harper.<\/p>\n<p>Then toward Vincent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSay the name again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She ended the call.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWho?\u201d Vincent demanded.<\/p>\n<p>Torres stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlake says Isabella Moretti hit him.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/?p=5883\">Click here to continue reading: PART 10: Blake\u2019s Impossible Claim About Isabella Led to a Woman With Her Face and a Secret Vincent Had Never Been Told<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The darkness lasted less than a second before someone screamed. Not one of the boys. Mrs. Harper. Her cry came through my phone from somewhere inside the same building, followed &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5882","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5882"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5882\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5902,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5882\/revisions\/5902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}